


To catch a cold

by kitbug



Series: The Tribulations of Andi Ryder [4]
Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: F/M, Sick Fic, and you wanna write/read sick fic, shameless fluff, when you're dying of the plague, yeah this is one of those, you know how like
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-21
Updated: 2017-10-21
Packaged: 2019-01-20 15:44:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12436044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kitbug/pseuds/kitbug
Summary: Ryder wakes up sick with a bad cold, and Jaal has no idea how human immune systems work.





	To catch a cold

“SAM, I think I’m dying.”

_“Negative, Andi.  You are merely ill.”_

Andi groaned and buried her face in a pillow.  She shivered and pulled the blankets tighter around her shoulders.  Her head was pounding, congested.  Her throat felt like she’d swallowed sandpaper.  The thought of getting up for breakfast made her feel sick to her stomach.  “Can’t you do anything about it?”

_“Your immune system is functioning as it should.  Modulating your symptoms may cause the infection to linger and delay your recovery.  I have informed Dr. T’Perro of your condition.”_

“Well, great.  Now I’m probably gonna get a shot.  Thanks, SAM,” Andi drawled.  She curled up into a ball.  Like that would protect her.

The chime to her suite rang as if on cue.  Fuck.

_“Jaal is at the door.”_

Relief at not getting a stabbed by the doctor was swiftly overcome by guilt.  Whoops.  She completely forgot about morning coffee with the angara.  It had become something of a ritual for them.  She should’ve had SAM send a message that she wasn’t going to make it.    Andi sighed.  “Let him in, I guess.”

She sat up to greet him.  The angara strolled in and blinked in surprise at finding her still in bed.  He hurried over to her, looking concerned.  Andi gave him a little wave.

“Darling one, you…” He frowned. “Are you alright?  You look…”

“Like crap?” she rasped and grinned crookedly to let him know he could be honest.

“Well, yes.  Is something troubling you?”  Jaal took her hand in his.  Worry and confusion creased his brow.  “Your face is flushed.  You feel much warmer than usual.  But, you’re shivering?”

Andi shrugged.  “I think I have a bit of a fever.

“Fever?”  His eyes widened in alarm, and he dropped her hand.  “You are ill?!”

“Yeah, but it--”  She let out a surprised squeak that broke into a coughing fit as the angara effortlessly scooped her up into his arms.  “Jaal, what are you doing?”

“I am taking you to Lexi right now!”  He replied, his long legs devouring the distance to the door.  “She must tend to you immediately!”

“Jaal, put me down!” Andi growled.  She attempted to squirm out of his grasp, but it was half-hearted at best.  He was delightfully warm.  “It’s no big deal, I’ll be fine!”

“I will not!”  The door the medbay slid open, and he strode in.  “Lexi, the Pathfinder--”

“Has a cold, based on what SAM sent me.”  Lexi’s matter-of-fact voice cut him off.  She waved to one of the beds and returned her attention to the tray she’d been preparing.  “You can just set her there.”

Jaal gently set her on the bed, like she’d shatter if he moved too fast.  “If you knew she was ill, why weren’t you there?”

Andi scowled and shivered more now that she was bereft of the angara’s body heat.  She crossed her arms over her chest in an attempt to warm herself up.  “I told you, it’s no big deal.”

“It is a ‘big deal,’” he parroted back.  “Your immune system is--”

“Functioning exactly as it should, based on SAM’s readings,” Lexi cut in as she set the tray on the stand next to the bed.  She nudged the fretting angara to the side.  “Alright, turn this way.  Let’s take a look at you.”

The Pathfinder glared but obeyed, swinging her legs over the side of the bed to face the doctor.  Her attempted ire was broken by a sneeze that rattled her to her core.  A tissue appeared in her hand, and she blew her nose.  “Is this really necessary?”

“No, it’s not.”  Lexi’s eyes gleamed with mischief as she checked the lymph nodes on Andi’s neck.  “But I’ll do it for Jaal’s benefit.”  She jotted some notes down on the datapad and then glanced at Jaal.  “Angara only become ill if their immune systems are compromised, yes?”

“Yes, and it’s very serious,” he replied, glowering at the doctor’s blase manner.  

Lexi took the otoscope from the tray and inspected Andi’s ears.  “Human biology is… messy at the best of times, and their immune systems aren’t so efficient.  It takes time for them to fend off a pathogen when it’s first encountered.  There are instances when the immune system is compromised, or the infection is severe, and medical intervention is required--”  Lexi paused as she tilted Andi’s head back to check her nose.  “But this isn’t one of those times.  SAM would’ve alerted me if it was.”

Andi squeaked and glared when Lexi peeled up the back her shirt and placed a cold stethoscope against her fevered skin.  She settled into deep, steady breaths out of habit as her lungs were checked.

“Slight congestion, but nothing that would suggest a lung infection.”  The stethoscope was withdrawn.  “As I suspected, you just have a cold.”

“What exactly is ‘a cold?’” Jaal queried as he examined the otoscope.

“A minor viral infection that humans get with alarming frequency.  It mutates very quickly, so almost every time they’re infected, it’s like a brand new exposure, and they get sick.”  Lexi fiddled with something on the tray, out of Andi’s sight.  “I want to say I’m surprised it followed the humans across deep space, but really, the only surprise is that it took this long for one of them to catch it.  Andi, what’s Jaal doing?”

“Why?  Is he messing with your toy-- _fucking hell, Lexi!_ ”  Andi yelped and rubbed her arm gingerly, having received an injection as soon as her attention was diverted.  “What was that for?”

“A cocktail of vitamins and minerals because I know you haven’t eaten today, and probably don’t want to, and an expectorant to keep the mucus loose in your lungs so you don’t develop a secondary infection.”  Lexi stared up at the ceiling.  “SAM?”

_“Yes, Dr. T’Perro?”_

“Make sure the Pathfinder stays hydrated and rests for the next couple days.  No workouts, minimal reports.  Notify me if anything changes.”

_“Of course, Dr. T’Perro.”_

Lexi turned to Jaal.  “That’s all she needs, I promise.  You can help SAM keep her out of trouble.  She’ll be back to normal before we touch down in Kadara Port.”  She frowned.  “If the rest of our humans aren’t sick yet, they probably will be soon.  This’ll spread like wildfire among them in these close quarters.  So, go on.  This one’s all yours.”

“I… thank you, Lexi.”  He bowed his head, embarrassed.  “I apologize for barging in here the way I did.”

Lexi waved her hands in dismissal and returned to her desk.  “Don’t worry about it.  Andi is lucky that you care so much.”

Andi made a face and then held her hands up to fend off the angara as he approached. “Jaal, I can walk back to my room, it’s right down the hall!”

“The doctor said you need to rest,” he retorted as he gently pushed her hands aside and scooped her up.  “You spend all your time taking care of the galaxy, now let me take care of you.”

She grumbled and nuzzled into the soft fabric of his rofjinn.  This was completely unnecessary, but she was feeling just mildly pathetic enough to let it slide without further argument.

“What’s wrong with our Pathfinder?”  She heard Drack drawl from the galley as they walked by.

“Lexi said she has a cold, and that it’s not serious.”

Drack made a disgusted noise.  “Oh good, now they’ll all be sick.  Guess I’ll get started on some soup.”

Andi turned her head out of Jaal’s shoulder and gave the krogan the most piteous expression she could muster.  “Chicken?”

“Yeah, alright.  Rest up, kid.  You’ve earned it.”  He gently tossed a can of orange juice to her and then started rummaging through the food stores.

“You’re the best, old man.”

Jaal stepped through the threshold into the Pathfinder’s quarters and started towards the bed, but stopped when she shook her head and pointed to the couch.  He deposited her there and let her get settled, wrapped in a blanket and clutching her juice.

“What can I do for you, taoshay?  Is there anything else you need?”

“There is one thing…”  Andi patted the spot on the couch next to her.  “Watch a movie with me?”  When the angara took the proffered seat, she started fiddling with her omnitool to find a movie.

Jaal’s arm circled around her shoulders and pulled her close. “How are you feeling?”

She made a face.  “Vaguely miserable, but not sick enough to be concerned about it.  I’ll live.  You don’t have to keep worrying.”

His arm tightened around her shoulders.  “I can’t help it.  Illness is a very serious and private matter among the angara.  When we do get sick, it’s usually very dire.  And, we can’t let any weakness be seen by the kett.”

Andi reached up and squeezed his hand.  “Sorry.  I don’t think about what you’ve all been through sometimes.”  She gave him a wan smile.  “I’ll be fine before we touch port in Kadara.  Like Lexi said, we get sick all the damn time, and it’s usually not serious.”  Satisfied with her selection, she tucked her arms back under the blanket and snuggled against him.

“What are we watching?”  

“It’s a really old movie about these dumb kids who think they have nothing in common and just view each other as stereotypes.  But then they’re forced to spend time with each other and find out they have way more in common than they thought.”  She gave him a sly glance.  “Some even fall for each other.”

Jaal chuckled.  “Sounds familiar.”

“Mom watched it with me when I was home sick from school once,” she mumbled quietly.  “It’s kinda dumb, but… it’s comforting, you know?”

“I understand.  Thank you for sharing it with me.”  He kissed the top of her head.  “And I hope you feel better soon.”

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this waaaaaaaaaaaaaay back in June, but I only posted it to tumblargh. So, it finally made the migration over. Changed the end slightly since then. I was legit like dying of the plague when I wrote this, we're talking radioactive snot factory with a fever of 103. IT WAS AWFUL. And I was all alone in a foreign country with foreign doctors, and I all I wanted was for someone to take care of me. So... wish fulfillment dumb fluff fic happened.
> 
> tumblargh is [here](http://kittlesandbugs.tumblr.com) if you feel like dropping by to chat or whatever.


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